Paul the Octopus Hangs Up the Tentacles

byBrian HallonJuly 17, 2010

For a squid Paul the Octopus has many names. Some call him the Oracle, others the Octopus Oracle, in Spanish speaking countries he is worshipped by the name el pulpo Paul, and I personally like to think of him as the Calamari Kid.

But most people here in the States simply refer to Paul as a genius.

His knowledge of World Cup football was vaster then the sea itself and his picks more accurate then a shot out of the barrel of Roy Schneider’s rifle in Jaws. Paul the Octopus proved to be the wisest being in the world this recent World Cup (regarding football picks of course) and his role in the World Cup will join many of the greatest animals of sports history folklore including the Anaheim Angels Rally Monkey and the cursed Billy Goat that wasn’t allowed into a Cubs game way back when.

But all good things must come to an end and the English-born squid is set to retire after selecting a perfect eight straight correct picks in the World Cup final. Paul currently resides in Germany in a fish tank and many were hoping that the octopus would continue picking league matches with his patented style of choosing a mussel out of one of two clear boxes that had the symbol of the national team flag.

But Paul decided to do what many athletes don’t, he decided to go out on top a winner and not subject himself to failure.

And now PETA wants Paul to be freed because of his unbelievable accomplishments and many famous celebrities want to meet the infamous predictor of World Cup matches. In other words Paul’s tentacles are being pulled in eight different directions right now and the squid has become the most famous of his entire species.

And although Paul’s time in the spotlight was rather brief, his accomplishments will have a lasting memory on the public. There has already been a song written in honor of the Oracle rightfully titled Paul the Octopus. The Parry Gripp song’s lyrics go,“He picks the winner / when he eats his dinner” and I’m sure it will outlive the Macarena. Among other Paul the Octopus developments is a phone application called “Ask the Octopus” due to hit stores soon. And in news from Hollywood, Daniel Day Lewis is seriously considering starring as Paul in a feature film biopic of the Oracle’s life (Paul the Octopus is of course set to write and produce the memoir).

So Paul the Octopus has many big developments on the way now that he has become a true celebrity in the world of entertainment. Let’s just hope he stays out of trouble and avoids the many great pitfalls of such a rapid rise to fame. In other words Paul needs to stay away from Paris Hilton and Lindsey Lohan, say no to seaweed, and always remember that the threatening phone conversation with his ex might be recorded on the other line (Mel).

Let’s hope for the best for our favorite predicting octopus oracle and whatever road Paul decides to choose in life, I’m sure it will be the correct choice.